Eno the emu dies during capture attempt in Orange County

Eno the emu dies during capture attempt in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — An emu missing out of Orange County since June has died during an attempt to capture and relocate the bird, Orange County Animal Services told WTVD.

Eno the emu died after officials tried to relocate the animal to a sanctuary in Orange County.

“We had hoped for a better outcome,” said Orange County Animal Services Director Bob Marotto, whose office had fed and cared for the bird for weeks and consulted with outside experts to formulate a plan for its capture.

“We did all we knew to do. We consulted with zoo experts to determine the best course. Unfortunately, she did not respond to our efforts.”

The plan, developed in conjunction with a board-certified avian veterinarian and two specialists from the N.C. Zoo, who were present throughout the attempt, involved sedating the bird to make it easy to transport it.

The bird did not respond to the low dose of sedatives, Marotto said, but eventually suffered an event while being restrained and died.